Tension device



y 3 w. F. SIMIONSON 2,122,896

TENS ION DEVICE Filed Feb. 4, 19:57 2 Sheet s-Sheet 2 Mil/AM f. J/MOA/SO/V.

1N VENT OR. NIT/V568. y 7 P? ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 6 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements inmanifold writing attachments for typewriting machines and more particularly it K pertains to a tensioning mechanism for use in connection with such device as is disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial Number 693,048.

In the device of the afore-mentioned application, a plurality of superimposed so-called continuous forms are fed through a typewriting ma- *6 chine and one of said forms is written upon during the operation of the machine. After the writing of the form has been completed, the entire set of forms is moved in a direction opposite to n the feeding direction in order that the interleaved i3 carbon pack may be released from the form strip and held in released position until the written or completed portion of the form has been severed and removed from the strip.

During the movement of the forms in the re- 25 verse direction, there is a tendency for the forms to buckle, and it is to a mechanism for preventing this buckling of the forms during their movement in the reverse direction, that this present invention relates.

It is-one object of the present invention to provide a mechanism of the afore-mentioned character which will take up all slack in the strip of continuous forms when they are moved in the H reverse direction, thereby preventing buckling of 3?) the strips during said operation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device of the afore-mentioned character which will in no way interfere with the free and V H proper movement of the forms in the forward or 35 feeding direction.

It is a further object of the invention so to construct a device of the afore-mentioned character that it will be entirely automatic in its operation and will require no particular attention on 40 the part of the operator.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the nature thereof is better understood and for this purpose, reference will be had to the following specification and claims and the accompany- 45 ing drawings wherein:

Figure l is a view in side elevation illustrating a device constructed in accordance with the present invention attached to a typewriting machine,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device illus- '0 trating its manner of use,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in elevation illustrating the parts in one of thepositions which 55 theyassumeduringoperation of the device,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the device on an enlarged scale,

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-45 of Figure 1, the view being on a slightly enlarged scale, and;

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 'I'I of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the device comprises a substantially rectangular open ended frame 30. This frame is preferably formed from a single 10 piece of material and the side members of the frame are formed on their free ends with angular off-sets 3|. The closed end member which is designated 32, forms a continuation of the ends I of the angular portions 33 formed on the opposite l5 ends of the side members of the frame. Carried by this cross member 32 there are two rollers 34 which are maintained in spaced relation by means of a spacing sleeve 35 secured to the cross member by a screw or the like 36. Also carried by the frame there are two guides 31, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

Near the free ends of the side members of the frame there is a transversely extending brace member 38 and the side members of the frame are 25 further connected together by a brace 39 spaced with relation to the brace 38. Secured as at 40 to the brace 38 and as at 4| to the brace 39 there is a member 42 which serves to prevent sagging of a strip of forms or paper fed over the frame and .3 0 the upper free end 43 of the member 42 is slightly off-set, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 5.

Carried by the side members of the frame and adjustable therealong, there are two stops 46. Each of these stops 46 has a beveled upper face 5 41 for a purpose to be hereinafter described and the stops are adjustably secured in position upon the frame by means of set screws 49'.

The ends of the brace member 39 extend preferably slightly beyond the side members of the ib frame 30 and pivotally mounted in said ends there is a bail-like member 50. Secured to this baillike member 50 as at 5| there is a transversely extending member 52, and said member 52 carries near each of its ends a guide 53. This bail-like member is adapted, when the device is in position upon a typewriting machine, to swing downwardly under the influence of gravity and is held in its upper position by the forms as they pass through the. machine in a manner to be herein- 50 after described.

Also pivotally mounted inthe member 39 there is a second bail-like member 55. The ends of this bail-like member 55 are extended beyond the member 39 as at 56 and provided with operating 555 members 5! by means of which the bail-like member 55 may be rocked about its pivotal points in the brace 39. By reference to Figure 5 it will be noted that this bail-like member 55 is smaller than the bail-like member 50 and is disposed within the same in such a manner as to permit of its moving freely upwardly when either of the operating members 51 is depressed.

The angular portions 3| of the frame 36 provide means for attaching the device to a typewriting machine and, as illustrated in Figure 3, these extensions are adapted to be received in socket members 58, which, in the present embodiment of the invention, are shown as rigidly connected to a rod 59 which extends transversely of the machine. This method of attachment, however, may vary with different models of typewriting machines and I do, therefore, not care to be limited to any specific manner of attaching the socket member 58 to a typewriting machine.

In Figures 1, 2, and 4, I have shown a conventional typewriter platen designated 60, the reference numeral El designating the apron of the machine, the paper feed rollers being designated 62. As shown diagrammatically in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the socket members 58 are mounted behind the platen 5E) and closely adjacent thereto with the frame 35 and its associated parts extending upwardly from the machine at a slight angle to the vertical.

In the normal position of the device, the baillike member 55 would be substantially in the position in which itis shown in Figure 1 and in setting up the machine for operation, the forms, which are herein illustrated as of the continuous type and designated F, are passed upwardly through the bail-like member 5% over the transverse member 52 thereof and between the guides 53. After passing over the transverse member 52 of the bail-like member 56 the forms are passed beneath the end member 65 of the baillike member 56 and upwardly over the rollers 34 from the rear to the front after which the forms pass downwardly over the apron 6| and beneath the platen 66 in the conventional manner of feeding paper to a typewriting machine.

The reference character B designates a carbon pack which is disclosed in detail in my co-pending application, filed, July 6, 1936, Serial Number 88,969. This carbon pack has side projections 65', each of which is perforated as at 66, and this carbon pack is so positioned with respect to the forms and the forms so positioned with respect to the frame 35 that these openings 58 in the wing extensions of the carbon pack will be in line with the stops 46 as the forms and the associated carbon pack are moved upwardly of the frame member 30.

I will now proceed to describe the manner in which the device operates.

With the parts in the position in which they are shown in Figure 1 the writing of the forms progresses in the ordinary manner of operation of a typewriting machine, It will be noted that the forms are transversely perforated in order that they may be separated as they are completed, and to accomplish this the platen is operated in the paper feeding direction until a form completely clears the platen, after which it is removed by tearing along the perforations. During this operation the bail-like member 50, which, under normal working conditions, occupies the position shown in Figure 1, will rock upwardly to the position shown in Figure 4 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

It is to be understood that one form is not removed from the strip until the carbon pack has been re-positioned, and this is accomplished in the following manner. After the form has been written but before it is removed from the strip, the typewriter platen is rotated in the direction reverse to the paper feeding direction, and this moves the forms upwardly of the frame member 30 until the carbon pack reaches the stops 46. Upon further movement of the forms, the wing extensions of the carbon pack ride upwardly upon the inclined faces 41 of the stops 46 until the forms reach a position where the stops 46 may be received in the openings 66, permitting the carbon pack and forms to drop downwardly again upon the frame 35. If now, the platen be revolved in the paper feeding direction, the forms will be fed forwardly, the carbon pack being held immovable by the stops 46. As the paper is moved forwardly by the feeding operation of the platen 66, the bail-like member 50 will be moved to the position in which it is shown in Figure 4 as heretofore stated, in which position, the forms F are free to pass over the transversely extending member 52 of the bail-like member 56 and the end member 65 thereof under the feeding influence of the platen 60. After the written form has been removed from the form strip, the platen is again moved in the reverse direction to position the next form to be written, and during this operation the baillike member 56 will swing about its pivotal points under the influence of gravity to take up the slack in the form strip produced by the reverse feeding thereof by the platen As the writing of the form continues the bail-like member 50 will move upwardly and upon the completion of the form, the aforedescribed operation is again carried out.

Fromthe foregoing it will be obvious that as the form strip is moved forwardly to remove the written form, the carbon pack will be held stationary by reason of the engagement of the stops 46 in the openings 66 of thecarbon pack. This movement of the form strip relative to the carbon pack will position the carbon pack properly with respect to the next form to be written, and just previous to the feeding of this form to be written to writing position in the typewriting machine,

one of the operating members 55 is depressed to platen will cause repositioning of the forms relatively to the carbon pack.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a new and highly efficient attachment for typewriters, which attachment particularly adapts a typewriter to which it may be attached to the Writing of continuous forms. Furthermore, the device is so constructed as to render it readily attachable to a typewriter, even for the writing of but a single form. a

While the invention has been herein illustrated in its preferred form it is to be understood that it is not to be limited to the particular construction in which it is shown and that it may be carried out in other forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. A device of the character described comprising in combination, a frame member, means for attaching said frame member to a typewrit ing machine, means for guiding strips of paper over said frame member when the paper is moved in the feeding direction, a bail-like member pivotally mounted on said frame member, a transversely extending tensioning member adjustably mounted on said bail-like member closely adjacent one end thereof and around which strips of paper are adapted to pass to the frame member, said bail-like member being movable against the action of gravity when the paper strips are moved in the feeding direction and movable under the action of gravity when the paper strips are moved in the reverse or non-feeding direction to take up the slack in said paper strips.

2. A device of the character described comprising in combination, a frame member, means for attaching said frame member to a typewriting machine, means for guiding a strip of paper over said frame member when the paper is moved in the feeding direction, a bail-like member pivotally mounted on said frame member, a transversely extending member carried by said baillike member closely adjacent one end thereof and around which a strip of paper is adapted to pass to the frame-like member, said bail-like member being movable against the action of gravity when the paper strip is moved in the feeding direction and movable under the action of gravity when the paper strip is moved in the reverse or non-feeding direction to take up the slack in said paper strip and means for adjustably securing said transversely extending member to the bail-like member.

3. In combination with a typewriting machine a frame adapted for attachment to a typewriting machine and over which interleaved and relative- 1y short transfer sheets are adapted to pass to the typewriting machine when the platen thereof is revolved in the feeding direction, means carried by the frame for engagement with the transfer sheets when the platen is revolved a predetermined distance in the reverse direction, said means holding the transfer sheets against movement when the platen is again revolved in the feeding direction, means independent of the transfer sheet holding means for disengaging the transfer sheets therefrom, thereby permitting of the simultaneous feeding of the interleaved record and transfer sheets and means pivoted to the frame for taking up the slack in the record sheets when fed in the reverse direction by the platen.

4. In combination with a typewriting machine a frame adapted for attachment to a typewriting machine and over which interleaved record and relatively short transfer sheets are adapted to pass to the typewriting machine when the platen thereof is revolved in the feeding direction, means carried by the frame for engagement with the transfer sheets when the platen is revolved a predetermined distance in the reverse direction, said means holding the transfer sheets against movement when the platen is again revolved in the feeding direction, means carried by the frame for taking up the slack of the record sheets when they are fed in the reversed direction to insure engagement of the transfer sheets with said holding means and manually operated means independent of the transfer sheet holding means for disengaging the transfer sheets therefrom, thereby permitting simultaneous feeding of the interleaved record and transfer sheets.

5. In combination with a typewriting machine a frame adapted for attachment to a typewriting machine and over which interleaved record and relatively short transfer sheets are adapted to pass to the typewriting machine when the platen thereof is revolved in the feeding direction, means carried by the frame for engagement with the transfer sheets when the platen is revolved a predetermined distance in the reverse direction, said means holding the transfer sheets against movement when the platen is again revolved in the feeding direction, a manually operated pivoted lever extending transversely of the said frame and movable independently of the transfer sheet holding means for disengaging the transfer sheets therefrom, thereby permitting of the simultaneous feeding of the interleaved record and transfer sheets and means mounted on the frame and frictionally engaging the record sheets for tensioning said sheets.

6. In combination with a typewriting machine I a frame adapted for attachment to a typewriting machine and over which interleaved record and relatively short transfer sheets are adapted to pass to the typewriting machine when the platen is revolved in the feeding direction, means carried by the frame for engagement with the transfer sheets when the platen is revolved a predetermined distance in the reverse direction, said means being adjustable and thereby adaptable to the operation of transfer sheets of different sizes and operating to hold the transfer sheets against movement when the platen is again revolved in the feeding direction, means independent of the transfer sheet holding means for disengaging the transfer sheets. therefrom, thereby permitting of the simultaneous feeding of the interleaved record and transfer sheets and tensioning means mounted on the frame and frictionally engaging the record sheets for tensioning said sheets, said tensioning means being adjustable to vary the tension on the record sheets.

WILLIAM F. SIMONSON. 

